There is a tendency in church history to present certain
renowned men of the faith in a way that greatly misrepresemts their actual
ministry. Everyone loves heroes and there is tendency to "manufacture"
heroes of the faith. In other words there is a tendency to "garnish the
tombs of the prophets." For the sake of truth, honesty, and
accuracy this ought not to be so. As Dabney stated it honest biography
should present a man warts and all. And the saints can not learn the lessons of
church history if history is enhanced to make for more inspiring and devotional
reading. The Scriptures with its inspired record of sacred history gives us
agood example to follow. While it presents many godly men and gives us many
inspiring examples it does not err by distorting the record. The sins of the
best of men are faithfully pointed out. Noah's drunkeness, Abraham's polygamy,
Moses' sin in striking the rock, David's adultery, etc. are all faithfully set
forth to balance the record. The same Paul that records the herores of the faith
rebukes Peter for compromising the gospel and rejects Mark for abandoning the
work. So, while some may question the following critiques of men who have been
highly regarded as heroes of the faith, Biblical imperatives require that the
record show their sin as well as their saintliness, that is record their vices
as swell as their virtues. It is to that end that the subsequent articles are
directed. Initially we will direct our historical studies to the careers of
three men,
Isaac Watts, Jonathan Edwards, B. B.
Warfield
